Educating on Green Building

"Learn as you Go" is our business motto, as my business partner and I are relatively new to the business world. We were both teachers before getting into this Green Building Business, so we were never concerned with getting clients, because out clients/students would just show up every day weather we liked it or not. It has been a logical path, though, that has brought us here to owning EcoSpaces: Green Building Solutions, a Green Building design, supply showroom that offers green building materials to those who live and work in structures. Before classroom teaching we were teaching environmental educations, feeling that the most effective way to create environmental awareness was through the children. We are still educating, but now to adults who use money, and we hope to teach this new crowd how to spend their dollars on products that are healthy for the earth. Sales and marketing do not come as naturally as teaching does to us. It has been a great marriage of business with a socially conscious outcome that keeps us motivated, knowing that we are not just selling "things" for the sake of consuming. We are passionate about what we do in order to try and introduce products to people that they can enjoy in the decor of their home for many decades that ultimately are healthy for the home owner, the home, and the environment. Please visit our web site http://www.EcoSpaces.net,if you are one of those people who is interested in building your home and life green.

Many Houses

It is great to get away, travel, and step out of this reality that I have made for myself here in Telluride, CO, running a design, supply, green building showroom and trying my damnedest to distribute Green Building Materials to construction projects around the country. I always laugh that I started my business and now all of the hours, meetings, screen time, worries, inspirations and challenges that arise from this entity called "EcoSpaces" are all my inventions. We are trying to offer the "alternative" Green Building Material for almost every commercial building product out there. Though we only are interested in distributing building materials that are non-toxic, sustainable, renewable, recycled and recyclable in an attempt to address and take action on the global warming crisis. Sometimes, it gets frustrating trying to convert the old-timer contractors to choose counter tops made from recycled glass instead of granite, paints that are non-toxic, or carpeting that can be recycled before the homes next remodel. Fortunately, there is already a culture out there who do not need to be sold on this stuff and come seeking us out. But, this last trip to San Diego, leaving my small exclusive ski town behind, I realized the potential of what we are doing. There were houses every where, as far as the eye could see. Modern, stylish, artistic ocean front beach houses to villages of tract homes on the other side of the highway. Everyone lives in a house, an apartment, a structure! Everywhere, around the globe. So, even if each house used one of our energy star windows in it, or one sono tube sky light, or even one water aerator on their faucet, or a rain catchment barrel off their gutter to water their garden with, not only could we, EcoSpaces be making a great living, but also, we, the human population on the globe, could also be making a significant impact in turning this climate crisis around. The sprawl of Southern California did give me hope that there is still a great potential for change. I just need to figure out how to get these products out there. Visit http://ecospaces.net/ if you happen to be one of those already sold on the idea. Here's how you can contact us info@EcoSpaces.net 877-727-1973

Sick Home Syndrome

When asked to pick my scent of choice to deodorize my vehicle at a local car wash, one of my choices was “New Car Smell.” Funny, how common this, and other smells associated with toxic off gassing are to all of us, like “Brand new shoes” or “Fresh coat of paint. Not funny, to my friend, Becca who compromised a year of poor health due to these particular pollutants.

Becca and her fiancé moved into their redone home when she was 27 years old. They did a simple “lipstick remodel” replacing carpets, wallpaper, paint color, they refinished the floors, and purchasing new furniture. But shortly after moving in, she felt extremely ill. She could barely get out of bed. “Out of the blue,” she said, she began to experience irregular heart palpitations, blurred vision, joint discomfort in her knees and hips, extreme fatigue, and unexplainable weight gain. Her otherwise healthy skin coloring turned grey, and she experienced uncontrollable tremors on the left side of her body.

After months of doctor visits with various specialists, weekly blood panels, IV cocktails, she shared, “I was diagnosed with everything under the sun, including Epstein Barr and Lymes Disease.” She finally realized that the only time her symptoms improved was when she was away from the house. Without input from her medical specialists, all who were looking at isolated symptoms instead of addressing environmental causes, she realized that the toxins in her modern new home were in fact making her sick. Formaldehydes in the carpeting and insulation, VOCs in the paints and finishes, chemicals emitting from glues and adhesives, and mold from the ventilation system were poisoning her indoor air quality, and compromising her immune system. Her own bedroom that she retreated to for weeks and months when she was ill, was in fact making her sicker.

The World Health Organization (WHO) first recognized Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) in the early 1980s. Besides the symptoms that Becca experienced, one can also suffer from itchy skin, rashes, eye irritations, nose congestions, and swelling of the throat. The symptoms often go undiagnosed by medical professionals and can completely disappear when people move from buildings in question.

Some researchers have speculated that Sick Building Syndrome is related to the energy crisis of the 1970s, which resulted in tight building envelopes. True, energy efficiency experts tell us to insulate, caulk and seal drafty windows and doors, as to not let precious heat or cooled air escape. But, locked in a tight indoor envelope, is actually doing your health a disservice if the materials you are sealed in with are toxic and have no where to escape. Becca reflects, “Who would ever stop to think that your couch is covered in Teflon for stain resistance, and each time you sit on it, it breaks down, and you inhale it?” She was also surprised to learn that granite countertops leach radon gasses into your kitchens as well. Buyers beware: manufacturers are now labeling products “Green” simply because they have let them off gas in a controlled environment before bringing them to market.
Every building material has an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), which is the equivalent to nutritional ingredients listed on food products, but rather tells you what is in your building material. Take the advice of Michael Pollan, author of “Omnivores Dilemma:” if there are more than five ingredients (in your food), and if you cannot pronounce any of them, it is probably not healthy for you. Look for MSDS such as these green products like BioGlass counter tops: 100% recycled glass, BioShield Penetrating sealer: Linseed Oil, Lead-free dryers, and Essential Oils and Earth Weave carpet: wool, hemp, jute and natural rubber. Chemicals to watch out for are formaldehydes and Volatile Organic Compounds and other multi syllable chemicals that are often common in mainstream building materials.

After experiencing a full year of compromised health as a result of Sick Home Syndrome, Becca is now careful to make non-toxic choices for her home and family. “I would rather spend more money up front on a clean product that lasts,” She admits, she would rather live in an older home that has had decades to off gas, and prefers that her home is a bit on the drafty side. Becca moved to the Telluride area in search of a healthier life style, and today she is able to enjoy her days and her family “symptom free.”

They Company Car...A hybrid

The old Subaru was on the verge, our second child was on the way, and it was clear that it was time for a new car. Being in the Green business it is imperative that we “walk our talk” and live to the utmost greenness, especially if we are going to slap our company car magnet on a petrol fed automobile touting “Green Solutions.”

After taking Kim Wheel’s Low Carbon Diet seminar about ways to minimize our carbon foot print, I learned that no matter how well you recycle, use canvas grocery bags, or have the right light bulbs in your house…. if you drive a car or especially fly in an airplane, you end up ranking gluttonous and obese on the carbon diet. So, when it came to buying the company car, we decided that the next best thing we could do was to use a hybrid vehicle.

We rolled away with the latest in automobile technology, the Toyota Hybrid Highlander, on a 2 year lease, with the thought, that after two years, better technology will inevitably be available and we would trade it in for an even more efficient car. As part-time local filmmaker, Chris Paine, uncovered in his documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car?” advanced alternative fuel technology already exists but was squashed in order yield to those still profiting off of big oil. So, we are forced to wait patiently for politics, gas prices, and global warming to get severe enough in order for this ready alternative technology to reemerge.

The hybrid motor is designed to reduce air pollution and considerably improve fuel economy. Batteries in hybrid vehicles are recharged partly by the gas engines and partly by regenerative braking; a third of the energy from slowing the car is turned into electricity. I like this feature when my gas light is blinking, and I can glide from town down Keystone on battery power alone to get to the Saw Pit mercantile, my loyal-independent, non-multinational corporate conglomerate, local gas fill up station.

Practically speaking, our Hybrid is a good car, very safe, rather reliable, and has no problem passing sports cars on Dallas Divide. At best, our 4 wheel drive hybrid SUV, gets 28 miles to the gallon on the open road, 24 mpg pulling our pop up trailer to secluded camping spots, and 23 mpg in winter wearing four studded tires while running the heater. This is nothing to feel “green” about, really. Politicians are saying, it is a small step in the right direction. But actually, I feel that this is a pathetic advance in the potential and the urgency for lower carbon emitting vehicles. When your house is burning down (or your earth is burning up) you don’t take small steps towards safety, you run fast, taking big steps to get out of the inferno. At this rate, we will never meet even the most insignificant goals made at the Copenhagen Climate Summit to reduce the global temperatures by two degrees. Remember, that in preparation for world war II President Roosevelt mobilized our country to ramp up for war, rapidly building air crafts, machinery, military gear, not to mention the a-bomb in order to effectively end a war and change the world forever. We face this type of urgency for change right now.

We wait to see if the Obama administration, the economic crisis, the global warming threats, the war in the middle east now in its 9^th year over oil, and the tumbling banks and automotive industry might heed way to propel alternative energy and fuel efficiency to the next level quickly. I have read that there are some new compact hybrids that are celebrating getting max 40 mpg. Remember, however, there were automobiles made twenty years ago (before the trend of over sized gas guzzling vehicles) that got close to that same mileage It seems like competitive products like smart phones, prosthetic, and even head lamps have advanced their cutting edge technology greatly in this time, but our cutting edge car has been stuck dead in its design. Come April, when our lease runs out, three years later, we will not be turning it in for a higher tech vehicle as we thought, because still no such thing exists.

Joanna Kanow is owner of EcoSpaces: Green Building Solutions: a green building materials design/supply showroom and distribution center. EcoSpaces is located at 162A Society Turn in Lawson Hill. 970-728-1973 www.EcoSpaces.net and is Telluride;s source to Green Building Materials.

Telluride Locals attend GreenBuild 2009

Once again, a small delegation of Telluride's green building advocates converged on the world's largest Green Building conference and Expo that happened this year in Phoenix, Arizona.  After all, the town of Telluride, Mountain Village and San Miguel County governments have recently adopted Green Building codes for new construction slated to be erected any were in the vicinity of this world class ski resort. Currently, any new commercial construction in Mountain Village now needs to be built according to LEED standards.  "LEED is the internationally recognized green building certification which provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance in energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental air quality, stewardship of natural resources and sensitivity to their impacts." So it is imperative that some of us living, building, and working towards sustainability in this region,  stay abreast to the innovation of this movement.

The National Greenbuild conference takes place every year in a different US city. This year, 27,373 people attended from 78 countries featuring three days of great educational sessions, stirring speeches, inspiring networking, and an Expo hall filled with hundreds of new green products to see.  It literally took me two full days to visit over 1,8000 booths touting the latest in green building materials.  Of the most impressive products I found this year was a new architectural software called AutoDesk, which enables architects and designers to perform whole building analysis to optimize energy efficiency before the building is even built.  There were several advances in photo voltaic technologies including solar panels as thin as a wax paper, cylindrical tubing panels that allow the sun to hit them from any, and full roof systems imbedded with solar panels that come ready to install as  one unit.  I was impressed with tiles made from recycled airplane metal, and roofing tiles made from recycled rubber tubing used in automobile parts and plastic from baby diapers, and countertops made from recycled glass that are now taking the place of quarried granite. I met the programmers from www.GreenKonnect.com,  a new Green Building social network that connects architects, builders and contractors to discuss their opinions after using green building materials new to the industry.   This year, we had to beware of a few green-washing manufacturers who were there primarily to take advantage of the economic boom in the green building industries trying to get a piece of the pie.   Based on a 2009 study by the USGBC and Booz Allen Hamilton it is projected that green building will pump $554 billion into the American economy over the next four years.

 

The event included addresses by the Assistant to President Obama for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner, as well as the keynote speaker, Al Gore.  He was preaching to the choir but stated it quite eloquently, "We still have a climate crisis, an economic crisis and a national security crisis ... they are united by the thread of dependence on carbon-based fuel, you pull that thread and the crises unravel."

 

Anyone I turned to in the Convention Center shared his or her passion for their work in this field.   I met with architects who are rebuilding the lower 9^th Ward in New Orleans, with green affordable housing for the original tenants. Rani Guram, an architect and designer also working with EcoSpaces, attended workshops on green affordable housing and came out feeling, "That there is an overall movement to make green building affordable to all."  I spoke with an engineer from the Coast Guard who was in charge of greening military bases, a mandate now from the Federal government. I discussed the topic of "socially conscious business" with companies who make this a transparent value of their overall business plan. I met a man who specialized in "Green Relief Housing" which are units that can be shipped on a pallet to any disaster or refugee site in need of housing.  Sansy Franklin, EcoSpace's showroom manager, was inspired by the Cradle to Cradle manufacturers like FLOR carpet tiles, who she said, "Are being thoughtful about what more they can do (in terms of being an environmentally conscious manufacturing plant) while still putting out quality products while being cost effective."   It was enlightening to be exposed to so many people dedicated to this environmental cause.

 (If you are interested in taking part in next year's GreenBuild conference taking place in Chicago in November 2010, please contact EcoSpaces who will donate a free pass to attend the Expo to anyone interested in being part of this Telluride delegation for Green Building.)

Green Real Estate

Green Real Estate
By Joanna Kanow
Executive Director, EcoSpaces LLC

You are shopping around for a new house to call home for your family. You are about to take out the hugest loan of your life and invest the biggest chunk of change into a piece of real estate that you will be paying off for the majority of your adult life.

Your real estate agent presents you with one house where you would never have a utility bill, you rarely would need to run the heater or air conditioner, the air quality would be pure due to the care put into building the home with non-toxic and sustainable materials. Furthermore, many of the recycled materials used for decking, flooring, roofing etc. need not be replaced during the lifetime of the house because of their outstanding durability. You would actually be saving money due to the efficiency of the home, and could qualify for more on the purchasing price for a Green Home like this. The other house is conventionally constructed, and cannot guarantee these things. Which would you choose?

Green Real Estate is another niche market that is popping up during this green revolution where certain brokerages are dedicated to showing clients the health benefits and financial rewards of a green built home. Green brokers focus on selling houses that have cared to include eco-friendly features and efficient technologies, are certified as Energy Star Rated or LEED Certified, and that are designed to be healthy for the home owner and the environment. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Eco Homes are the hot sell right now even when the real estate market is slow. Christian Thomas, owner of Green Door Living Green Real Estate Firm based out of Denver, Colorado reflects that in this market, homes that integrate green features are more of a premium, have creative marketing points, and seem to move faster in this sluggish real estate economy. Jill Masters is Telluride’s only certified Eco Broker, which entails taking a course and a test to earn this title. Although she admits that there has only been one LEED certified home for sale thus far in Telluride, she hopes that future building begins to trend towards the green and has put her self in position. She notes that the town of Telluride has already started building Green Affordable Housing units that cost local owners merely nothing to heat in the winter. The Telluride Association of Realtors has also just recently added a line to their MLS listings that gives buyers the option to state if their property is Eco Friendly.

Although there are not yet any stringent certifications or regulated criteria that validates that a home is truly green, beyond the U.S. Green Building Council’s stringent and voluntary LEED certification, there are some characteristics of a home that do help the value and the sale of a Green Home. If you are shopping for a home ask if the home was built using non-toxic, recycled content and/or renewable resources. Inquire if it is Energy efficient, built with a tight envelope, includes energy efficient appliances and windows. Homes that derive most of their space and water heating from the sun using Solar Power are very desirable as well, as these features diminish utility bills altogether. Also note which way the home is oriented to understand what kind of passive gain the house may have in each season. You may also ask if the home includes HVAC, ventilation and filtration systems that are designed for optimum indoor air quality. Inquire about the insulation and ask for past heating bills. Homes that incorporate some of these features can drastically reduce operational costs as well as possibly qualify you for a special Eco Mortgage.

Energy-efficient mortgages are one of the most beneficial and under-utilized programs the consumer can find and capitalize upon in today's real estate market. An energy-efficient mortgage can add an additional 15% of a home's appraised value to the principal of a new loan or a refinance, often at no additional cost, no compromise in the loan-to-value ratio for the borrower, and sometimes at a better rate. The first steps to qualifying for an energy efficient mortgage is to have a certified energy rater come and conduct the analysis of your property. Energy raters, such as Lotus Energy Solutions based out of Telluride, can also run a blow door test to find areas that need to be resealed and a they use an infrared camera to take pictures that show heat loss in hard-to-detect areas. Taking these steps not only alerts the home owner of how energy efficient their house is overall, but also could afford the buyer more purchasing power on a loan, as well as savings in the future.

Once again, being Green can save you some green, and help save the planet at the same time. Buying green in finally economically advantageous, as well as healthy for you, your home, and the environment.

Refrigerator Down

Was there a rotting dead skunk sitting in its own vomit in my dishwasher?  When I walked into my kitchen I was enveloped with a putrid cloud of odor that smelled worse than rancid hard boiled eggs.  It did not take me long to open the freezer door to discover the bacon was warmer than my leather  car seat in the summer with windows rolled up. The ice cream was blue with something not meant to be a topping, and the ice tray could have housed tropical fish.  Our Refrigerator/ Freezer has been a solid member of our household for the past 15 years living with our family as a loyal  member.   I have interacted with it on a daily bases for longer than I have my own two daughters.  I rely on my fridge just like I do my own heartbeat, expecting it to work for me on a continual, round-the-clock basis.  Yes, I may be co-dependent, for the moment it stops working for me, disaster sets in.

I had to toss out hundreds of dollars of groceries: the poor chicken breasts, dead for no cause.  The bottle of ketchup that chilled in the door for at least half a year had to go, too. Those frozen bananas for smoothies now brown sticky warm soup. Learning that you need to purchase a new fridge is like the clutch going out in your truck:  an unexpected expense that needs to be addressed rather promptly in order to regain normality back into your life.  So, time for a new fridge, what to do?

When faced with the reality of having to buy a new refrigerator, only consider appliances that are certified Energy Star. Since there is not a moment in the day that your refrigerator is not drawing energy, it is best to find one that has a low annual energy use.  Top mounted freezer use less energy than similarly sized side-by-side models, even if they are both rated energy star. 
Refrigerators fewer than 25 cubic feet should meet the needs of most households and obviously over sized refrigerators will use more energy.  Know that some new model refrigerators are eligible for rebates through San Miguel power. 
When sending your no longer loyal appliance to the land of dead appliances, be sure you dispose of your old refrigerator properly. Cooling equipment, such as refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers and room air conditioners involve refrigerants and insulating foams that release ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases once in a landfill. Older appliances may also contain PCBs, Freon or mercury. Federal law requires the removal and proper disposal of refrigerants but not foam products.  Thankfully, there is a once a year town Spring clean up put on by the New Community Coalition that accepts old refrigerators for a small charge.  If you are unable to hold on to your now hazardous piece of waste, you can call Best Appliances in Montrose who, for $45, will remove the freon in your refrigerator and then deliver it to Recla metals to be recycled.  A pick up fee may apply.
When my loyal fridge went down, I immediately called the appliance Doctor to see if he could resuscitate it.  He shop vacuumed 15 years of shmutz out of the coils and vents and prescribed rest, and then a restart in 24 hours.  Luckily, our fridge   did come back to life and I was able to swiftly avoid replacement. Though, now that I am over educated in the world of refrigerators, I know that my fridge, built 20 years ago uses 70% more energy than today's energy-efficient model.  The dilemma, dump it for a newer energy efficient one or let it keep wasting energy but avoid the repercussions of the hazardous waste it contains and those effects on the environment. Every green-minded environmental consumer is always faced with these lesser of two evil decisions.   None the less, give your fridge the respect it deserves, as we hope it will live with your family for many decades to come.